Easter morning brought the traditional chaos to our house and the bunny was almost forgotten in our rush to church. Just at the last minute, Jeremiah remembered and ran to check on Fighter, only to find that he had not made it through the night.

As soon as we arrived home from church, we set out to give Fighter a proper burial service.  Jerry, being a great pastor and even better daddy, presided over the service. It was his speech that really gave us all an awesome perspective. He reminded the children about how angry they were for Fighter about the injustice he received from the enemy cat.  He reminded them of how much they loved and cared for the bunny the instant they knew him, of how they took mercy on him and saved him from the evil one (in this case the neighbor cat.)  Then he asked them to think of their friends, specifically about their friends who were not walking with Christ.  He compared their friends to the bunny and challenged them to be as concerned for their friends’ spiritual well-being as they were for that of Fighter.

So that is the challenge I offer to you today.  Do you know anyone who, like the bunny, is hurting because of attacks of the evil one? We need to be a light in the darkness for them. (Matt. 5:14-16)

Or maybe it is you the enemy has been chewing on?  Did you know that even though we go through rough times here on earth, God can use all of those trials and struggles for His glory? (Romans 8:28) Not only that, but He promises to walk through those valleys with you.  Please know there is hope for all of us this side of death. God loved you the instant He formed you, and He longs to rescue you from the jaws of the evil one if you will only call out to Him. He promises that if you seek Him, you will find Him.

So this Easter, join me in remembering all the lessons we can learn from an Easter bunny.

Marla Graham is a teacher, pastor’s wife and mother of six.  She is also the founder of SHINE Ministries for women.  You can learn more about her and SHINE Ministries at www.shine4jesus.org.

"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith..." Ephesians 2:8

Some people think that Grace is merely the name of the girl who lives next door, but grace is a theological concept. Some have attempted to define it, saying that it is God's unmerited or undeserved favor; but that definition never really satisfies me. In simple terms, I think of grace as God's reaching down to meet us at the point of our pain and despair and giving us the strength to endure and the hope to survive.

Take a hymnbook, preferably an older one, and check out some of the words of the old hymns that describe grace. I suggest an older hymnal because it seems that a few generations ago people better understood the grace of God than we do today with our quick fixes and instant solutions.

In the eighteenth century Charles Wesley wrote of it, saying, "O for a thousand tongues to sing / My great Redeemer's praise / The glories of my God and King / The triumphs of His grace".

When Paul wrote to the Ephesians, he spoke of God's grace, which brings salvation. He wrote, "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith..." (Eph. 2:8), and thousands of hymns and songs have been written about the saving grace of God, such as John Newton's hymn which says, "Amazing grace / how sweet the sound / That saved a wretch like me / I once was lost but now am found / Was blind but now I see."

The grace of God, though, is like a multi-faceted diamond. Another facet of grace is that His help allows us to endure when bad things happen. It is God's grace which touches your life and lets you smile when the clouds are rather dark and gloomy and brings a measure of cheerfulness when you are in deep waters financially and wonder where your next meal is coming from. When things which are unexpected happen - often things that could well be described as "bad"- God's grace provides strength and help which you could otherwise never know.

Paul had a lot of experience when it comes to bad things happening. Let me share a few lines from his letter to the Corinthians and see if you can relate to his distress. He said, "We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed" (2 Corinthians 4:8,9).

Today we would say he was down but not out, so what is it that makes the difference? The grace factor which brings comfort and help.

Paul then added, "Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day" (2 Corinthians 4:16). Paul described this grace, saying, "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles..." (2 Corinthians 1:3-4).

This book, known as 2nd Corinthians, from which I have quoted rather freely today, is described as the heart of Paul. He tells how he despaired and cried out for God's help and the answer was, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power [or strength] is made perfect in weakness" (2 Corinthians. 12:9a). He also said, "For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich" (2 Corinthians 8:9).

To describe grace simply as God's help would minimize it, but to understand that grace (which we do not deserve but is freely given) brings the answer to our great needs and connects us with the loving care of God. It's a discovery well worth making.

Success comes in many forms. At times it presents itself as a neatly disguised problem. At times, it can be quite elusive, similar to grabbing a handful of air. And still at other times, success can be grasped and held onto easily. While it is difficult to pin one meaning on a word with such a diverse application, we must take the time to figure out how we spell success in our own life.

Success is a personal endeavor. What is success? Where does it reside? How can it be flushed out from its hiding spot? These are foundational questions we need to answer. Each of us must develop our own definition if we are to reach the pinnacle of our life - aka success. The most common definition of success I find is: the favorable outcome of something attempted.

Based on the above definition, success can be anything we attempt to accomplish provided we arrive at a favorable outcome. It does not mean getting rich, or having fancy homes and cars, although this is how many perceive success. The reason we see tangible items as reaching our pinnacle is because we have not yet spelled what success means for ourselves.

The definition shown earlier generates confusion because of the word favorable. Must we actually accomplish a task in a favorable manner to be successful? Or is success achieved from the attempt? The technical antonym of success is failure. But do we really fail when we don't achieve a desired result? Or is the failure represented by an act of quitting before we achieve our goal?

I made the mistake of chasing what looked like success only to be frustrated and disillusioned. Success was actually a moving target. I never achieved it because I never defined it. There was always more to gain. There was always one more rung of the ladder to climb. This is a slippery slope, which normally ends up in a disaster. Success in reality is who we become, not what we accumulate.

I developed an acronym for success to as I spell it.

S = Selfless. Always help others first.

U = Unconquerable. You have to weather the storms.

C = Compassionate. Must care sincerely about others.

C = Creative. See things as they could be, not as there are.

E = Effective. Shoot for effectiveness, not efficiency with your time.

S = Self-Motivated. You have to know what makes you tick.

S = Sensible. You can’t take stupid risks.

1 Tim. 6:17 (MSG) says, "tell those rich in this world's wealth to quit being so full of themselves and so obsessed with money...If they do that, they'll build a treasury that will last, gaining life that is truly life."

My belief is we’ll eliminate the confusion by defining our vision of success and setting the proper goals to help us get there. Once we complete these two steps, we develop and implement our daily action plan. The plan details the activities we must do each day including prayer and guidance. Goals without a plan are seldom achieved.

The path to success becomes clear when we know where we are headed. Although, we may not reach the pinnacle each time, we'll be in a far better position than before.

Isn't that the best way to spell success?

James authors the popular leadership blog, Leading The Way. You can participate in the daily discussions by visiting www.validleadership.com. He founded the concept of VALID Leadership and has published numerous Christian and secular articles.

It was a hot day. And though it wasn't any different from the usual in southeastern Iraq, it made a sniper's job tough to do. He remembered a briefing he had read earlier.

"Prolonged temperatures can affect the human body in ways that can cause paranoia, emotional outbursts, hallucinations, and trembling of appendages."

Not that he was experiencing those things right now, but he had been out there for the past three days. He and his spotter would remain - as always - silent, invisible, and lethal. This time, however, there was an ambush on an enemy caravan that would be passing through hopefully soon.

They had set out from a town nearby early in the morning that had other caravans passing through for the past 72 hours, which made it difficult for the assault teams to get into position. He looked off the ledge and saw the assault team below waiting for his signal. According to the plan, there were two assault teams waiting that were armed with RPGs and AK-47s (so that anyone coming across the scene would not think that it was an “allied effort" but rather a tribal ordeal) that would spring upon the approaching caravan after the first shot was fired from the sniper team. Fairly simple but still plenty of room for error.

The timing of it all counted on stopping the first vehicle in the caravan, which needed to stop within a 30 yard distance in the valley so that it would create the bottleneck necessary to carry out the operation. The shot itself was tougher than normal. The caravan was moving at about 40 miles an hour, which in the desert was fairly fast. Cars at that speed were very much liable to "spin out" which gave an indication that the caravan was carrying an important passenger. His spotter whispered to him, saying that the caravan would be in range in close to five minutes, information gathered from sensors that had been planted along the main route the caravans had been taking over the past three days. Hopefully this would all go according to plan. Though there had been a few a few snags over the past couple days, the assault team had narrowly escaped detection. Caravans had sometimes stopped and looked around the possible bottleneck, and the intended target had been lackadaisical about leaving its compound. But there were worse things that could have happened.

4:45 to go time. He looked down at his cigarettes, reached for one, and lit it. He took a drag and felt the nicotine in his veins. He felt the exhaustion leave his body, and his hands became still. He felt a pang of regret course through his mind. He told her he had stopped. He had said he'd try to quit.

Another drag.

He took the cigarette out of his mouth and snuffed it out while taking a look around both sides of the cliffs. Both teams were in position. He had the .50 cal rifle with the explosive round, an antipersonnel rifle, and an M4A1 should things get ugly.

2:13 to go time. He could see the dust from the vehicles from about two miles out. It would happen soon enough. He checked with the spotter to make sure that everyone was in place. The spotter told him everything was correct. The dust moved closer and closer as the mechanical beasts became larger and larger. A pang of nervousness shot through his body. His hands started shaking. He took three quick breaths to still his mind and body. His hands quit shaking and his mind returned to a state of tranquility.

0:39 seconds to go time. He grabbed the rifle and steadied it against his shoulder. They were almost in range; it wouldn't be much longer until he took the shot. 5 seconds...he drew in his breath and exhaled. His hands were steady like an oak tree; his mind was silent and sharp like a blade. He looked down the scope, aimed where the engine would be in that particular vehicle and squeezed the trigger.

Silence.

He heard the firing pin click and hit the detonator cap of the bullet as an explosion of sound pulsed against his shoulder. He looked down and saw that the slug had hit the engine and exploded exactly like it was supposed to. The echo came bouncing back off the cliff walls as the vehicle spun out in the sand and flipped. The other vehicles stopped and men started jumping out of the cars with guns ready, running back to protect the target. The two teams came out exactly as planned. He saw the trails from the RPGs streaking towards the vehicles and shattered remains. There was still automatic weapon fire being heard, but it would seem that the opposing force was already pacified. He grabbed his antipersonnel rifle and looked down the scope looking for any last targets that might have been untouched from the barrage of bullets and scathing rocket blasts. Then he saw him, their intended target, the man that this entire operation had been set up for.

There was music in the air. He was smoking a cigar, enjoying the protection that his convoy had provided. There was still another hour to go, but it would be a pleasant ride. All of the sudden, he heard the sound of a thousand jinn screaming in horror as his vehicle had stopped and started to spin out and roll. His cigar landed in the palm of his hand causing excruciating pain and torment. He heard the sounds of automatic weapon fire as hell unleashed about him. He crawled out of the vehicle only to see rocket propelled grenades obliterate his bodyguards.

So many children without a father.

He looked up to the top of the cliff where he saw a glare from a scope lens and stared his killer down. There would be no escape, no renegade general to help him make his exodus. He took a breath and screamed, "ALLAH U AKABAR!" And then there was darkness.

He looked down at the target, seeing him look fully at him. He saw him take a breath and scream his last words. He took a breath, steadily exhaled and squeezed the trigger once more. A vapor trail led straight to the man's chest.

He was done, tired of taking lives in the name of democracy, tired of what he had been sent to do. He waited for the chopper and lit another cigarette. He took another drag, contemplating all that had happened. His mind silenced as the nicotine invaded his being. The chopper had finally come down to them, and he got in. He looked down at the smoldering stick of tobacco, paper, and ash and threw it out of the chopper.

He told her he'd quit. He said that he hated them (and he truly did). He looked down at the cardstock pack; he held it remembering all he had said and all he had done. He accidentally dropped the pack, and as he stared at it, he remembered that he was going home.

This was the last time - Lord willing - that he would ever have to fire another shot at another human being. He could go back working for his dad at the shop. He looked down again at the pack, took a steady breath, exhaled and slid it out of the chopper with his foot. He was done killing himself and others. He was going home. There wouldn't be the invasion of faces, of smoke, or of war. The chopper landed at the base and he saw body bags of several men that had died in the operation.

So many children without a father.

He turned in his weapons and gathered his things. Home was just seventy-two hours away. He took a steady breath, exhaled and got onto another chopper that would be taking him and several other men away from the dire edges of human depravity. There was closure. Soon he would return to his comfortable life, telling his children and other's children about the horrors that had been committed in the preservation of freedom for not only them but others as well. He'd tell of the children's fathers who had given their lives selflessly in the name of human decency. There was a greater operation to undertake, one that he wholly intended on completing - not a war to end all wars, but a love to pacify war.

Brian Sallee is a 20-year-old business major at Dallas Baptist University. Aside from writing short stories, he enjoys talking about philosophy as well as theology, reading and hanging out with friends.

Growing up I longed for the day I would dance in the arms of a man who would make me feel special. At age ten, I shut my bedroom door, walked past the lace-white canopy bed, picked up a 45 (think CD), and put it on the record player. I dragged my chair across the room, placed it under the window, and knelt on it. I lifted the bottom pane, propped my elbows on the window sill, and sang along to Chicago's "Just You 'n' Me."

"You are my love and my life,
And you are my inspiration,
Just you 'n me, Simple and free,
Baby you're everything I've ever dreamed of."

I yearned for love like the song described. I was lost in a world of romance. Before long, I daydreamed about real boys and fell to sleep imagining so-and-so kissing me. And by the ripe old age of twelve, I had a steady boyfriend.

Girls today yearn for the same thing. My son's friend captures this on her facebook profile page: "I wanna be the girl he gives his hoodie to & cuddles up next to when it's cold. I want him to come up behind me, wrap his arms around my waist, catch me off guard, and whisper in my ear, 'You look beautiful.'"

The cravings for a "prince" still exist. Girls want to be Cinderella, and boys want to be the hero. Furthermore, society lures us into believing the fairytale story can be ours. The desires are real. This empty world leaves us wanting more.

We were designed to seek unconditional love and acceptance - to covet something bigger and better than the world can offer. Unfortunately, we seek comfort and fulfillment in a boyfriend or girlfriend, entertainment, food, alcohol, drugs...and all the while, God woos and waits.

I married at 19 and assumed my search for Mr. Right was over. I was an intelligent, attractive college student ready to change the world. Life was good. And yet, I continued to sense the emptiness that had plagued me for years. I still cried at night. I locked myself in the bathroom, wedged between the bathtub and toilet, telling myself my husband hated me and I had nothing to offer.

That's where I was when Jesus found me. Young, pretty, and going places. Quiet, insecure, and desperate for something more.

Like the woman at the well, I sought to quench my unending thirst with worldly pleasures and consumable resources. And like the woman at the well, I left my water jar when I found the Living Water, my real Prince. I exchanged the temporal for the eternal.

Unconditional love and fulfillment are not found in people and things. People disappoint. Things fail. Christ accepts - forever. His love continuously flows. His well does not dry up. We can never expect more from Him than He can give. And He never expects more from us than He can supply.

Barb and her husband, Don, have four children, Kevin, JT, Kenneth, and Melinda. Barb home schools her children and encourages her husband in his pastorate position. Her passion is ministering to ladies. Her purpose is to glorify God. Follow Barb's blogs at foodliesandtruth.blogspot.com and thefatherheartofgod.blogspot.com.

By J. Merritt Johnston

Flip through your TV channels and you're almost guaranteed to find a daytime talk show dishing out paternity tests to a line-up of potential "baby-daddies." It seems the average American viewer really eats up real-life scandals, so the television execs make sure we get to see plenty of them. They certainly would love to go back in time and get an exclusive interview with Joseph, for he was no stranger to scandal. Let me set the scene for you.

Joseph was a good guy looking for a good girl. He meets Mary, and a beautiful courtship begins. Love was declared and wedding plans made. But before wedding vows were ever exchanged, "she was found to be with child..." (Matthew 1:18). Aww, snap.

A million thoughts must have run through Joseph's mind. His heart was broken, but there were decisions to be made. You see, the consequences in this biblical drama were far greater than anything unwed mothers have to face today. According to Jewish law, Mary could be stoned as a punishment for her unfaithfulness. By their rules, having sex before marriage carried a death sentence. Talk about an incentive for abstinence.

So Joseph finds himself at a crossroads, carrying the keys to Mary's life or death. His wounded pride may have pushed for the harshest punishment, but his wounded heart mustered the courage to pursue a different course. Matthew 1:19 (NLT) says, "Joseph, her fiancé, was a good man and did not want to disgrace her publicly, so he decided to break the engagement quietly."

But just when he thought things couldn't get any crazier in his world, Joseph sees a vision that changes his plans (and his life) forever.

Matthew 1:20-21 says, "But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, ‘Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.'"

Yep, pretty crazy news to get in your sleep. If I were in his sandals, I think I may have attributed the dream to some bad Mexican food before bedtime, but Joseph reacts differently. Matthew 1:24 tells us he responds immediately with obedience: "When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife."

Our man Joseph was certainly a stand-up guy, He knew that marrying a pregnant girl would open him up to gossip, ridicule, and disgrace in the eyes of all his Jewish buddies...but he had enough guts (and character) to do it anyway. Like I said, he was a stand-up guy. Maybe that's why the Creator of the Universe chose him out of millions to be His Son's daddy.

Seriously, think about that for a minute - our Heavenly Father had to entrust an earthly one with the life of His only Son. It was a scandalous act of faith on God's part. But Joseph rose to the occasion and received the honor of parenting the greatest Son the world has ever known. That might not make today's tabloids, but it's certainly a story worth telling this Christmas.

Merritt serves as the director of SAGE Girls Ministry, a non-profit organization whose mission is to reach, teach, and train young women to impact their communities and the world with the love of Christ. She makes her home in Brenham, TX, where she and her husband, Jeremy, are raising their rambunctious toddler named Josiah.

In fact, drainage ditches come with a warning. The water in a ditch can move so fast it will suck you under.  Ditches are things you can fall into and get stuck.  James, a recovering alcoholic and Christian friend, said his goal when he would drive drunk was to, "keep it between the ditches."  Even drunks know to avoid the ditches.

The ditch will not completely drain, and the water that is left becomes stagnant.  It grows a healthy crop of mosquitoes. The ditch water kills the grass under the water and leaves smelly slime mixed with trash. Foolish parents let their children play in the filthy, open ditch.  Some children are warned to stay out of the ditch because it can be dangerous, and sometimes they rebel and play in it anyway.  They play with makeshift paper boats and run up and down the ditch. Then they return home like the little prodigal children: cold, wet, and sick.

For centuries, the idea was that ditch digging was not something to aspire to.  This was the back-breaking work reserved for slaves or prisoners. In Luke 16:2-4, Jesus tells of a man who had come to the end of his rope, "He called the manager and asked him, ‘What is this I hear about you? Tell me what you have done. You cannot be my manager any longer.'  Then the manager thought to himself, ‘What will I do? My master is taking my work away from me. I am not strong enough to go out and dig a ditch.  I am ashamed to beg.'"

Even the most sinful do not want to live in a ditch!  So why do so many people fall in the life's ditches and not climb back out?  Why would anyone be satisfied being stuck in a ditch?  The reality is that they are not happy stuck in the ditch.  Ask a smoker how many times they have tried to quit.  Question the overweight person how many diets they have tried and failed.  Ditches come in all forms, shapes, and sizes. They all have the same characteristics and will show up at different times and places.  Because ditch dwelling people are selfish, they pull others into the ditch with them.  Ditches are never prejudiced; they will accept anyone who falls into their muck.

In Matthew 15:15, Jesus said, "They are blind men who are trying to lead blind men. If a blind man leads a blind man, they will both fall into a ditch."

Falling into the ditch is the easy part - getting out is the hard part.  The walls are steep and the slime is slippery.  Many just choose to stay in the ditch.  The larger the ditch, the more help we need getting out of the ditch.  Sometimes you need a tow truck to pull your car out of the ditch. For example, if yelling at the kids would make them perfect, then all parents would have perfect kids.  Ask yourself, "What is the purpose in training children?" Is it for the parent's sake or the children's need?  The answer is, "Both."

Children need to learn to function in a family system.  A family needs the children to function in the system.  Children are not born with this knowledge. They only have needs, so they must learn.  And you cannot teach them anything if you are stuck in a ditch.  The child's need for discipline and knowledge are not met, thus they will turn to abnormal wants to fulfill their needs.

The jet liner is going down and the oxygen masks deploy.  Do you put your own mask on first or the child's?  The correct answer is you put your own mask on first!  If you pass out before you put the child's mask on, you both will die.  If you put yours on first, then you can save the child and yourself.  You might also save the other dumb parents who tried putting their child's mask on first.

You can't fix your family until you fix yourself.  Individuals, families, and children fall into ruts, or a small, manageable ditch.  Another term for a rut is redundancy, i.e. having the same stupid argument over the same stupid thing over and over again.

Remember, a life rut is always man-made.  The rut in your life is abnormal, and over time it will become a ditch.  Every person needs help getting out of the man-made ruts of life from time to time.  It is easier to get out of a rut than a ditch.  The deeper the rut, the harder it is to climb out. If a man is drowning in quicksand, you do not jump in with him in order to save him!  You toss him a life line and tell the drowning man to tie it around his body.  Then you will have to keep pulling until the suction of the quicksand begins to let go.  As you begin to pull the person out, you will see hope return to their eyes.  You need to keep pulling because the closer to the edge they get, the more they will help themselves. Soon they are out of the quicksand pit, but now they need to be cleaned up.  Once out of the quicksand ditch, they have to go through the cleaning process alone.  No one can clean you better than you can clean yourself.  Sometimes you need a long, hot bath to get all the dirt off.

The lifeline that pulls you out of the ditch is the plan for success coupled with the act of working the plan.  It is hard work pulling someone out of quicksand; do not give up (resolution)!  They may not move at first, but the longer and harder you pull, the closer they are to salvation (permanency).

Ditches are always made by man and filled with trash.  All graves on earth are man-made.  God did not dig a hole for our dead bodies; only men dig graves.  The only grave that God was ever placed in was man-made, and Jesus got up and walked right out of it.  Man-made ditches cannot contain God's power.

The great Baptist preacher, Charles Spurgeon, has an illustration that aligns with ruts and ditches.  To paraphrase:

"Suppose a house is attacked by seven thieves. The good man of the house is armed and kills six of the thieves.  One thief survives.  Then the good man of the house allows the thief to live in his home.  The good man indulges the thief and pampers him.  The thief steals the goods of the home and takes advantage of the man's children and wife.  Yet, the good man allows the thief to still live in his home.  Finally, the thieve kills the good man and destroys his family.  If by the grace of God you have driven out six of these vices and yet one still lives, you will still lose everything."

The rut became a ditch, and the man indulged and pampered the ditch.  When the raging water filled the ditch, it took the man's family, then his life.

Many years ago I was working at a residential mental health hospital.  I was finishing my work on my Master's degree at the time, and I worked on the adolescent unit.  Many of the teens were placed there by the court, especially if they were picked up on the streets. Most of the young men were drug addicts and prostitutes.  They were easy targets for adults with access to drugs and money.  These young men came in with a list of diseases from AIDS and hepatitis to tuberculosis; some had all three.  The adolescent unit was on the second floor of the hospital.  One morning I walked out the doors around 6:00 a.m., heading toward the elevators just as two EMTs were walking off with a teenage boy from the streets.  I stopped to offer assistance because it was apparent the young man was still under the influence.                                

It was at that moment that the young man had a violent seizure and fell to the reception area floor.  He began to vomit and shake.  I held the teen's feet as he had a grand mal seizure, and he began to choke on his own vomit.  Without any hesitation, the medic put his mouth on the teen's mouth and sucked out the vomit.  He did this over and over again until the young man could breath on his own. Knowledge and action are not the same thing.  The young EMT was a husband and father of two small children, and he was fully aware of the dangers.  He knew the probable diseases the street teenager might have, and the personal risk involved with mouth-to-mouth.  He also knew that the boy would die in seconds if the vomit reached his lungs.  The heroic act I witnessed that morning has haunted me for years.  I often wonder if I would have the commitment to follow through with such an act of raw heroism.

When Jesus was crucified, He sucked all the vomit of sin out of our lives.  He gave His life so that we could truly live.  Then He walked out of a man-made grave  to show us that it's possible.  All we have to do is follow in His footsteps.

Often when we think of men encountering the Lord or angels in scripture, we automatically remember that they all fell on their faces trembling before the being from heaven. Then the visitor would have to assure the person that no harm would come to them. The words the angel or the Lord always used were, "Fear not!"

We are not to fear an encounter with the Lord or angels. Some scriptural examples we can look at to support this are Abraham and Moses. Two angels and the Lord visited Abraham one afternoon (see Genesis 18). Abraham knew who they were. He demonstrated respect for his guests, but he was not afraid. Instead, he ordered a calf prepared and bread baked to serve his guests. It probably took three or four hours to prepare the meal to honor his company.

Do you suppose during those several hours Abraham left his guests alone to wile away the time? Rather than groveling on the ground in fear, he was a good host, conversing about the weather and the flocks and the crops.  After dinner, the visitors got down to business and delivered the promise they had come to give. That same afternoon, the Lord told Abraham what was going to take place in Sodom. Abraham was bold enough to bargain with Him about not destroying the city for the sake of an ever-declining righteous few inhabitants. He did not fear God, but in faith esteemed Him as the final authority.

Moses met with God frequently. He was respectful and honored God, but he did not fear Him. The rest of the nation of Israel in the wilderness, on the other hand, were deathly afraid of God. Their fear came because they had sin in their lives and they knew God punished sin and rebellion. When it came time to approach God, Israel sent Moses as their mediator. God wanted to have a relationship with Israel, but they would rather hold onto their sin and rebellion than confess it and be set free of it to enjoy the presence of the Lord.

When God comes to us, we don't have to be afraid unless there is some sin in our lives the Lord has revealed and asked us to turn away from. Generally, He comes with a message. The message could be similar to the one Mary, the mother of Jesus, received: God had a job for her to do. Gideon, the least of the smallest tribe of Israel, received a comparable message in Judges 6: go and deliver Israel, I have sent you. Jacob dreamed of a portal open over him in heaven (see Genesis 28). From that portal he saw angels ascending and descending a ladder resting on earth. He also saw God in his dream and heard what God had to say to him. What he heard was a promise from God that Jacob had a good future and his descendants would be blessed. He didn't think this was a pizza dream or his overactive imagination; Jacob knew without a doubt he had encountered God. He was so sure of this that he built an altar to remember the experience by and as a witness to all future generations that God had come to this place to visit their ancestor Jacob.

John, the author of the book of Revelation, was directed by God to come up to the throne where God was seated (chapter 4:1). John related to the church what he saw from heaven's perspective regarding the last days before Jesus' return to earth. He didn't fall on his face in fear and trembling. He did what he was asked to do - come, look, report.

Since the days when the Bible was written, God has not changed. He is the same today as in those times and will continue to be the same in the future. He still comes to those who seek Him and desire to serve His purposes on earth. What we read in the Bible is a model, or example, for how God can come to us in our lives. Many Christian writers over the centuries have related encounters with the living resurrected Christ  - Saul of Tarsus was the first, but he wasn't the last.

God doesn't always come in visible form. Sometimes He comes as a gentle whisper as He did in Elijah's case. God can come to us as an overwhelming sense of peace in the midst of the worst chaos in our lives, boldness when we are in the midst of a fearful situation, or joy without a reason.

If we are right with God, we have no reason to fear Him when He comes to us. When He does meet us, it is to bless us, promise a future we can't imagine, or send us on a mission that will testify about Him. Fear not!

Darlene Stern is housewife who first came to know the Lord in her late 30's. From the time He began to touch her life, Darlene has pursued Him with passion and an unquenchable thirst to know Him more and more. He has not disappointed her! Contact Darlene.

There is no doubt that 2010 was a year of tribulation for my family and me. Dealing with the loss of my best friend and then my father-in-law was a very tough time.

Honestly, the suddenness of my best friend Thomas' death nearly derailed me from ministry.

Grief is an interesting process. It is much like being caught up in a tornado where you are spun in so many directions and consumed in the darkness of confusion. Then the tornado dies and you wind up in the land of Oz, except there are no beautiful colors or happy songs. You wonder if you will ever find your way back home.

Yet, for a pastor, we must pastor through the pain. Many men of God in the past have had to do so. Charles Spurgeon, George Mueller and John Calvin all had to carry on the ministry of the Word while being cloaked in the shroud of sorrow.

This year was my turn.

I chose to not try to hide it and talked about it when I could. I can truly understand what Paul meant when he said, "...therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me..."

I have been and still am very weak. Thomas' death still stings like it just happened yesterday. I saw a picture of him that I hadn't seen, and I still found it difficult to believe that I will never see him again in this lifetime.

These are not just passing ideas but emotions that stick with you day in and day out as you minister to broken and hurting people who desperately need answers. I feel that I am but a millimeter ahead of them in learning how to apply the hope, mercy, power and peace of Christ in me. It's hard, but I must pastor through the pain.

I deactivated my Facebook over Thanksgiving so I didn't have to answer or respond to anyone about "how I was doing" a year after this ordeal. I didn't want to talk about something that no one can really understand but a few select people in my life. It is so intensely personal that speaking about it to even close friends is nearly impossible. I thank God for my wife, Dr. Kahle (my counselor), and one or two others that I have confided in about the heartache that will not go away. They help me pastor through the pain.

Life stops for no one. You keep moving on even when it seems so unjust to do so. How can I move on when my best friend is gone and his family is hurting so badly? We are all swept along by the force of the current of existence whether we like it or not. I move forward with a colossal hole in my heart knowing that this trauma cannot be fixed in this lifetime. That is the reality. There is no fixing this.

Many days, I feel like I am "duct taped" together by the grace of God in this earthsuit that could fall apart at any minutes. Yet until the day I move from this life to the next, I will have to pastor through the pain.

So how do you minister to people when your heart is broken?

1. You can't. Only Christ living His life through you can. This reality has been branded into my heart with a hot iron. I have had some bad moments of anger, depression, anxiety and grief that I have displaced on others this year. It has taught me that only Christ can medicate pain that just won't go away.

2. You fight. I refuse to let this sorrow destroy my family, ministry, or my joy in Christ. I refuse to be swallowed up in self-pity or the "what-if's." The conundrum of trying to accept what is fair is inscrutable at best.

3. You rest. I don't do "rest" very well. I am filled with vision, fire and enthusiasm. But those three things are not enough to overcome the heartache. I have had to "go dark" a few times in order to survive. My wife has been incredibly understanding in this area. Without her love and understanding, I don't know if I could have continued my pastoral duties as I have been able to do this year.

4. You pray. I have never learned how to pray as I have the last few months. I never really appreciated the hymn "What a Friend We Have In Jesus" until these last few months. I have been able to pour out my hurt, bewilderment, fear, anger, and emotional paralysis to Him in ways that I never have before.

5. You look. This world is not my home. In an age of pragmatism, we are always looking for some formula to calculate so we can get fast results in just "7 days." I know as long as I am here on earth I will walk with a more noticeable limp because Thomas is gone. I know that I will see him again in heaven.

Death is a part of life. Loss is inevitable. It's coming, and when it does come, we will keep moving. We must. There is no choice in this matter if we are to retain our sanity.

Each day, I sit with my Heavenly Father and cry out to Him. Some days I do it for a few minutes, other days for a few hours. I am in a war and I must keep advancing forward. We have no room to retreat in this battle. Through Christ's life and strength, I will continue to pastor through the pain by His grace.

Joel Engle is Lead Pastor of The Exchange and the author of The Father I Never Had.

By Deborah H. Rabern

Mercy listened to His father and learned an ordinary skill, working in wood, a blue-collar trade. In obscurity, He waited until the fullness of time. Then He went to be baptized by the one preaching repentance. The Spirit tore through the heavens to descend as the voice of God declared, "You are my Son, whom I love: with you I am well pleased" (Mark 1:11 NIV).

Then Mercy followed the Spirit into the desert for forty days, alone without food or water. At His weakest point, the tempter came with enticing words. Mercy overcame temptation with the spoken Word of God. He prayed and taught others to do likewise. He said we should always pray.

Mercy called sinners to repentance and preached the good news about the Kingdom of Heaven. Those who repented were not turned away. He dispensed wisdom and hard truths. He offended scholars, politicians and the religious elite with His uncompromising righteousness.

Mercy drove the moneychangers from the temple to remove them from the wrath of God. He told the truth about the penalty for sin to rescue people from eternal judgment.

He set a different standard - addressing heart issues and challenging tradition. He said to love your enemies, be good to them, and pray for them. Help them without expecting anything in return. Those who obey these injunctions receive a great reward, because these actions make you like the Most High God who is merciful and kind to the wicked and ungrateful.

Mercy said anyone can follow me - the crooked, the profane, the common, the wealthy, men or women, any nationality. He healed every kind of sickness, delivered the demon-possessed, and raised the dead. Yet He experienced physical limitations and emotions.

He prophesied about His death and the end of the age. No one understood Him. He chose the path to Gethsemane full of dread for what was to transpire. He folded up His sinless life and deliberately laid it aside to robe Himself in the sins of all the world - past, present and future. He put on a shroud of flayed flesh and bent chin to His disfigured chest to be crowned with thorns. He traded His innocence for our guilt.

Mercy suffered brutality at the hands of strangers. He was betrayed with a kiss from a friend. No one stood by Him. His staunchest ally claimed, "I never knew the man." Loyalty melted into the blackness of a Roman arrest. Nothing stopped Mercy from forgiving. Total humiliation, excruciating pain and public shame couldn't divert Him from His Father's divine plan.

Darkness covered the land and the sun closed its eyes as Mercy exhaled His last prayer. The earth trembled. The veil in the temple ripped from top to bottom and gave direct access to God. Mercy borrowed a tomb for three days before His glory forced death to relinquish its grip.

When Mercy came down, He brought light to those shivering in darkness. He brought life to those dwelling in the shadow of death. He came to those who believed in themselves; those self-sufficient in their wealth; people swollen with the importance of worldly wisdom, who couldn't perceive that they were wretched and pitiful without a Savior.

Mercy never falters or fails or changes. He keeps His promises to a thousand generations. He extends a scarred hand to the hopeless. His truth gleams through the ages to find those who have lost their way. He still offers rest for the weary and peace for the troubled mind.

Mercy conquers death, hell and the grave. He makes all things new. He transcends natural law. Let Mercy come down.

Deborah H. Rabern is a graduate of Georgia State University. She has spoken and taught in assorted venues including churches, parachurch organizations, federal prison and the public school system. In addition, she has been a spokesperson for the National Day of Prayer Committee (Cumberland, MD) and Tri-State Celebration (1999) during her employment with the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. Email Deborah.

By James Castellano

There are several traits consistent with effective leaders. One in particular is creating healthy relationships with others. They see the value in building allegiances instead of walls. One sure way to develop and maintain these allegiances is through positive conflict management.

Conflict is often misunderstood, yet its definition is simple: two differing viewpoints toward a similar subject. It is not fighting or arguing to prove a point. This type of conflict generally results from lack of leadership and/or misuse of power. To be an effective, VALID leader, we must resolve issues and there is no resolution without conflict.

2 Corinthians 7:5 (NIV) and Galatians 2:11 (MSG) provide the mandate for Christian leaders to confront and face conflict. Conflict can be categorized in three levels.

1. Minor - issues that are not pressing and can be deferred to a later time. These may resolve themselves over time.
2. Normal - issues requiring awareness with easy resolution. Both sides come to agreement without prolonged negotiation or stressful discussions. Compromises work at this level because neither side is locked in to a specific viewpoint.
3. Major - issues deemed important with difficult and/or complex resolution. All sides are locked into their viewpoint and consensus is difficult to attain. Reaching agreement at this level may take significant time. Although these scenarios are demanding, this is where solid leadership takes control.

Recognizing conflict at its proper level provides clarity. At Level 1, an email or phone call may be sufficient; whereas, a direct, face-to-face confrontation may be necessary at level 3. Regardless of the level, focusing on the issue rather than the person is the best strategy. When the issue affects a group, allowing everyone to speak candidly paves the way toward resolution. The three types of resolution are:

1. Compromise - the lowest form of resolution. This works well for speedy decisions and those which are not of major importance. With compromise, one or all parties concede something and often feel resentment afterward.
2. Cooperation - mid level resolution. Agreement is reached to work together to find common ground. Although there may still be compromises, everyone leaves with a sense of accomplishment.
3. Consensus - the highest form of resolution. Agreement on the solution is reached. This should be the goal when dealing with complex and important decisions. Gaining consensus takes time and all parties feel like they won. Personal agendas and selfishness will destroy any attempt to achieve consensus.

Positive management of conflict and using the correct resolution creates an atmosphere of empowerment. Problems are identified quicker and solutions become readily available when positive conflict is encouraged. Tackle conflict head on and transform your leadership potential into results.

James authors the popular leadership blog, Leading The Way. You can participate in the daily discussions by visiting www.leadingisreading.blogspot.com. He also founded the concept of VALID Leadership and has published numerous Christian and secular articles.

By Ed Cyzewski

On Christmas Eve one year I realized that I'd done nothing to prepare for Christmas outside of buying a few gifts. I would attend a service that evening, but the majority of my preparation had overlooked the birth of Jesus.

Somehow I'd immersed myself in the lights, trees, carols, and sentiment, while missing Jesus completely.

Christmas season can latch onto us and drag us into mindsets, schedules, and emotions that may leave us lost, bewildered, and exhausted. We feel pressured to create a winter wonderland for our families and purchase a reasonable number of presents, while somehow preparing for the celebration of Jesus' birth.

If we can't maintain some kind of perceived balance, the guilt drags us down and we end up asking questions such as: Why didn't I focus more on Jesus? Why did I let myself get swept into commercialism? Why did I put off my shopping?

Guilt and regret multiply like fruitcakes.

If we can step back a minute from the emotions, carols, and temptation to buy Advent prayer guides, I'd like to take a fresh look at Christmas and all that we associate with it. Then we'll be in a better position to enjoy it for what it is, rather than letting sentiment, unrealistic expectations, and cultural baggage determine its meaning for us.

WHAT IS CHRISTMAS?

Every year somebody trots out the supposedly damning history of Christmas in order to prove that everything we do is somehow connected to the pagan worship of trees and big box stores. I'll admit, reading the History Channel's guide to Christmas would make Scrooge sing with glee.

The early church didn't even think to celebrate Christmas. And even when it did catch on, it was more of a wild romp like Mardi Gras than a line of angelic choir boys singing Silent Night with glowing candles.

Over the years the meaning and celebration of Christmas evolved, and in the 1800's it took on the sentimental, family-centered, gift-giving emphasis that has taken hold to this day. In a sense, Christmas preserves many of the high ideals of the Victorian period in the late 1800's. Enter candle-bearing choir boys.

So what exactly is Christmas all about?

Is it really all about celebrating the birth of Jesus? From the best that we can tell, Christmas was first celebrated as a way of sanctifying a pagan feast day, which in and of itself is not a bad thing.

God came to redeem our world, and it's not too far of a stretch to include our holidays and festivals. If we're going to celebrate something in the winter, as most people do, why not rework these feasts into something focused on God's saving work?

Interestingly enough, "Christmas" began with Christianizing pagan feasts, but in the end we commercialized the Christianized pagan feast. So therefore, Christmas has always had this tension between the sacred and the secular.

There is no "pure" celebration of Christmas. It has always been a tangled mess of priorities and traditions that have morphed and changed over time in both the religious and secular categories. The Christmas holiday has always been about gathering with friends during the coldest, darkest part of the year. It only makes sense to celebrate the coming of God's redeeming light at the same time.

HOW SHOULD WE CELEBRATE CHRISTMAS?

Christmas has made me feel various degrees of guilt for the past fifteen years. While I looked forward to family gatherings and gift-giving, I tried to transfer that excitement to the birth of Jesus. In fact, I felt that I should be even more excited about the birth of Jesus.

I thought that Christmas had to be deep, meaningful, and life-changing. I should go through a time of preparation that ended with the arrival of Jesus and then everything would be different. There would be a release, an epiphany, a moment in which I'd see things in a fresh, amazing light.

In a sense, I wanted Christmas to be as spiritually meaningful as Easter, but it never happened. Usually, I'd just put on my slippers and bathrobe, drink some coffee, and hang out with my family around the Christmas tree feeling like a terrible Christian.

After learning that the early Christians didn't celebrate Christmas, some have tried to cut themselves off from the commercial end of Christmas completely. Others have rejected the celebration of Christmas outright.

Christians, myself included, have tended to overly romanticize the early church, assuming they were pure, super-Christians who really had this Christianity thing nailed.

Did the early church meet in homes? Then that's the only way to go! Did the early church need hundreds of years of traditions to guide them? Then neither do we! However, there's no telling whether the early church had Christmas right. They were people trying to follow Jesus at a particular time and place just like us.

In fact, we could benefit greatly by emphasizing the importance of the incarnation. If God was willing to leave his comfortable place in order to redeem us, then we have a powerful example to follow in our own lives.

How should we celebrate Christmas? At the very least we should enjoy our cultural traditions, recognizing them for what they are and trying to not lose ourselves in the commercial haze. But more than anything else, we should celebrate the incarnation of Jesus because it made our salvation possible.

When it comes time to open my presents, I don't plan on feeling guilty this year. I also don't expect amazing, life-changing moments whenever I ponder the birth of Jesus. God can do whatever he likes, but Christmas does not demand earth-shattering, spiritual moments.

Sometimes we need to worship God and not get wrapped up in the results.

Lastly, I can't make Christmas more significant than Easter simply because it isn't. Christians have historically made a bigger deal of Easter, and I plan on following their example on December 25.

Ed Cyzewski is the author of Coffeehouse Theology: Reflecting on God in Everyday Life. He blogs on theology at www.inamirrordimly.com and on writing at www.edcyz.com.

I recently found out. When she went out of town for a few days, something slowly dawned on me: I did not see or hear birds.  My great detection powers soon revealed that the feeders were empty.

And then I noticed something even more significant.  No dead birds.

Apparently, they found other sources of food.  Maybe Jesus really meant what He said about His heavenly Father feeding the birds of the air (Matthew 6:26).  Let's face it: the whole earth is a pantry for birds.  Joanne is a miniscule part of that provision.  She is not vital to their sustenance.  The bird feeders are really for Joanne, not the birds.

In the same sense, most human agencies - governmental, private, religious - exist for themselves, not those they claim to "feed."

During my years in Washington, I learned that most people in government and politics are as decent and dedicated as the people who work in small town hardware stores or grain elevators.  But their "north star" is always their own survival.  They simply leverage the conditions of many in order to sustain an agency and a career.  That is true, in equal measure, of conservatives and liberals.

Beyond Humanitarianism

A wealthy man once told me that he did not believe in tithing.  "Look," he said as he rolled his eyes, "I give much more than ten percent."

In that moment, I understood why Jesus said that it's easier for a camel to pass through the eye of needle than for the rich to enter the Kingdom of God (Matthew 19:24).  Wealth often represents massive self-reliance.  They did it and they will continue to do it "my way."  It is the only way they know.

So, naturally, when it comes to tithing, they have their own ideas and initiatives on how to do it better.  They will make the decisions about where, when, how, why, and if to write a check.

But God is not impressed and He does not need their money. That is not the issue at all.

In Malachi 3:10-12, the Lord makes it simple. Bring the tithe (literally, one tenth of income) and gifts into His storehouse.  That's it.  Leave it and walk away.  When we do that, then He will do what only He can do.  As the Maestro of all creation, He will orchestrate harmony and wholeness throughout His world.  He will direct His creation into shalom, the release of abundant health and prosperity.

Where Does Shalom Come From?

Shalom captures the primary yearning of the human heart.  That ancient Hebrew word transcends its typical translation as "peace."  Shalom paints a panoramic view of societal wholeness - including prosperity, rest, joy, health, safety, wellness, harmony, and justice.

It represents God's intentions for home and community. 

Whether we know it or not, that situation we all reach for is God and His rule.  In fact, the ancient prophet, Isaiah, saw that shalom could only be found through God's government.

His ruling authority will grow, and there'll be no limits to the wholeness he brings. Isaiah 9:7 (The Message)

When the prophet Amos cried, "Let justice roll down" (Amos 5:24), he saw justice and righteousness pouring from heaven and out over the earth like a great river.  He did not see an energized government or church program. Amos saw the beauty and expansiveness of the Kingdom of God.

I hate cynicism, but when I hear terms like "social justice" or "human rights," I feel like someone pulled a gun on me.  Such phrases seem designed only to grant raw power.  Like a gun, they provide no reason and permit no discussion.

Only God can give social justice; it "rolls down" from His realm.  When "society" tries to do that, it can see no further than a group of people - a bureaucracy, agency, or system - who have the power to seize and reallocate resources.  Ironically, when many Christian leaders proclaim, "Let justice roll down," they mean that earthbound civil governments should do it.

It is all utopianism - the idea that humans are perfectly capable of designing and enforcing a social order that brings wholeness to all relationships.  But utopia is hostile toward God as the Creator and Judge.  And because it does not respect Him or even discern His creation, it is, in fact, a dehumanizing vision.

The end result of God's shalom is that "there will be no more need."  (Malachi 3:10 - NAS).  No human vision or strategy - communism, capitalism, socialism, or laissez-faire - can achieve that.  None of them created the earth; none of them have the key to the pantry.

Our great King invites us to move beyond humanitarianism - that arena of "good works" which we create and control.

"Let justice roll down" is a prayer, not a program.  When we stop trying to program what only He can do, and simply obey what He tells us to do, then maybe we will find that we've been engulfed and overwhelmed by the glorious beauty of His shalom.

As a writer, Ed Chinn has been published in many US newspapers, magazines and websites. His new book, "Footprints in the Sea," is available here. Ed and his wife, Joanne, live in Middle Tennessee. Email Ed.

By Deborah H. Rabern

A virtual supermarket of spirituality permeates cyberspace and any store that stocks printed material. Christianity vies for space with the Hindu, Buddhist, Muslim, and Scientologist doctrines. The New Agers tout yoga, reiki healing therapy, and chakra tuning to bring body and soul into bliss. One can spend hundreds or thousands of dollars pursuing the path of peace through some self-styled guru and his accompanying talismans. Following severe strictures of complicated or demanding rituals becomes a lifestyle of self-absorption and obsession.

Of course there's a bit of truth in most of these practices. However, the belief that there are many paths that all lead to God is a deception that dooms the deluded to eternal darkness and separation from the One True God.

Only one way leads to God. This point blank statement of truth is unpopular and offensive to most of the world's population. Perhaps those unfamiliar with Christianity can't believe the simplicity of the Gospel. Finding your way to God by just believing Jesus?

You want me to accept some story about Jesus and believe He came to earth as the only Son of God, born of a virgin. He hung around with ordinary people, did miracles, told some stories, said some good stuff, set the religious leaders at odds with one another until they killed Him. Then, you want me to believe God raised Him from the dead and He stayed around for a while and then just floated up in the clouds to live in Heaven. That's it? Radical!

The first step of belief is simple and launches us on a fascinating, one-to-one journey with the Creator of the Universe. True spirituality is a holy bonding with Jesus Christ. That's the reason we were created - to be in fellowship with God. A passage in Ecclesiastes tells us God has set eternity in our hearts. From our birth, we have a longing to connect with the eternal. We have a void in our soul until we come into a relationship with God through Christ.

Dead rituals, repetitions of chanted prayers, and offerings to long-dead gods can never atone for our sins or make us right with the Almighty. Greedy men devise clever stories to gain either money or power. True representatives of Jesus offer truth without a price tag. Jesus' disciples spread the truth throughout the Roman world without a safety net and no fallback plan. They went as missionaries with the clothes on their backs and a walking stick. They lived with the Son of God in the flesh and it altered their lives forever. None of them were perfect, but the presence of Jesus transformed them.

Scripture reveals the character flaws of mortals. A loving Father confronts them to bring about change. God doesn't offer an easy evasion of consequences. People are required to confront their sin. Repentance releases grace and liberal forgiveness.

Moses had the privilege of unprecedented time with God. The osmosis of glory reflected in Moses' own countenance. Yet even his lengthy, frequent visits in the presence of God didn't inoculate him from sin. He had people problems.

The Israelite slave mentality alternated between accepting a miraculous provision and doubting that another divine intervention was possible. Each problem they faced seemed insurmountable. Moses was the lunatic that got them into this mess. He was responsible for the danger, discomfort, and uncertainty. Their complaints were loud and frequent. The nation was thirsty and water was nowhere to be seen. They feared death in the desert.

God told Moses to speak to the rock and water would spring out. However, Moses struck the rock twice with his rod and spoke to the people in anger, giving the impression that power came from himself instead of from the divine source.

Moses crossed a boundary. He exhibited a bad attitude during a demonstration of God's power. The pressure of leadership precipitated a meltdown. Although Moses' exasperation and frustration were understandable, God didn't excuse his behavior. God expects His representatives to reflect His character when acting on His behalf. God loved him and forgave him, but Moses' temper tantrum blocked his entrance to the Promised Land. No spiritual leader is immune from the highest standard.

Like Moses, our intimate connection with Jesus can fade over time without constant renewal through prayer, worship, and study of the Bible. Obedience to the Word of God, and the direction of the Holy Spirit draws us closer to the Almighty. Our inching toward Him accelerates His giant steps toward us. He longs for us to be pure in heart so we can be one with Him. He created us to have the same fellowship with Him as Adam and Eve did in the Garden before sin. He values time spent with His creation - humankind.

The Bible tells us as we come near to God, He will come near to us. It's all about faith. Scroll back to Abraham in Genesis, and we see he pleased God and gained favor because he believed what God said. The standard of faith waves through the throngs of history. Those who believed God received His attention and companionship. Think of Enoch, Noah, Joseph, Samuel, and all the apostles. Countless believers recorded in the Bible experienced a vital connection to the living God. Generations of subsequent believers have kept the faith. Today, the faithful sustain and continue to maintain allegiance to Jesus.

Our Lord never desired a breach in fellowship with us, but sin disrupted His perfect relationship with humanity. Sin has and will always separate us from God. However, knowing Him, listening for His slightest whisper, and experiencing Him through the Spirit of Jesus is attainable. Repentance, sensitivity to His Spirit, and spending quality time with our Creator fills our empty hearts and overflows our dry wells. Take all the time you need. Our Heavenly Father is omnipresent. He's never in a rush. He's waiting for you.

Deborah H. Rabern is a graduate of Georgia State University. She has spoken and taught in assorted venues including churches, parachurch organizations, federal prison and the public school system. In addition, she has been a spokesperson for the National Day of Prayer Committee (Cumberland, MD) and Tri-State Celebration (1999) during her employment with the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. Email Deborah.

An old gentleman named Elmer had been coming around to our place for over a year to get parts to fix little kids' bicycles. When he found out we had children, he began to bring a chocolate bar for each child every time he came. In very broken English, he explained that while a soldier conscripted into Hitler's army he had come to value chocolate bars as a special treat. They were a special treat for our kids, too. Every time Elmer drove up on his BMW motorcycle saying, "Hoy, hoy!" they would race each other to get to Elmer first. He loved it!

One winter I grew concerned as I hadn't seen Elmer since September. By early March I began to wonder whether he had survived the nasty winter we'd just gone through. No one seemed to be able to tell me anything about him. On a day when I was traveling in his direction, I stopped to discover myself how he was doing. He was so happy to see me. The elation on his face made up for that old Slav's language barrier as he invited me in to the one room building where he lived.

During the course of 'conversation' Elmer asked whether I had any salt at home. Meat, even fresh from the butcher, just didn't taste good without salt. However, he didn't want just any salt. He wanted salt from a round package. When he learned I had three kinds of salt at home for him to could choose from, he dragged out his BMW to follow me home to take a look at what I had. After looking at the containers, he rejected two of the varieties of salt. I'd stored the third kind, canning salt, in a container other than what it had been purchased in so I gave him a sample. "Is good!" Elmer pronounced. "I take, OK?" In addition to the salt, I gave Elmer some other food that day. He paid me way too much money for what I'd given him, but he left a happy man.

A week later Elmer returned for more eggs saying, "You have given me a life! I tell you, you have given me a life!!" I couldn't really fathom what he was talking about. I thought possibly he was referring to his salt-renewed taste buds.

The next week Elmer returned again saying, "I tell you, you have given me a life! You have more eggs? I eat three every day!" (Elmer always spoke in exclamations.) In addition to the eggs, I got some more food from our storage cellar that day for him. He was grateful. His eyes shone as he kissed my forehead and my hand.

I wrapped his eggs and the glass jars in pieces of blanket to protect them on the journey in his motorcycle basket, then helped Elmer carry his treasures out to the BMW. We 'chatted' a little and he confessed to me how I had given him a life. It seems he'd become very depressed for lack of food that he considered pure. He was nearly suicidal. But he said, "I know Jesus say no (he demonstrated the action of putting a gun to your head and pulling the trigger to indicate suicide)." I want to go to heaven, not to hell, so I not (again the demonstration). I tell you, you give me a life!"

Instantly, it became crystal clear to me what he was saying! I was reminded again that with his BMW motorcycle and his Slavic accent, people thought he was a Nazi. He suffered persecution from those who judged without knowing. He felt oppressed. No one he knew locally could speak any of the four languages he was fluent in (Russian, Hungarian, Czechoslovakian, and Polish) and he didn't speak either English or the German most locals knew a smattering of.

Hunting was one of Elmer's passions; a hobby that was frowned upon by the ever-vocal animal rights groups. TV news reports about old people being murdered in their homes caused him to fear for his life. Grocers thought he was a potential thief by how he looked and smelled - like an eighty-year-old bum. To top it all off, the only food he considered 'good' was meat from a butcher shop. It had to have been an awfully long winter for him. But at our home he had found acceptance and 'good', life-giving food. We had given him a life!

In Matthew 25:31-46, Jesus taught His followers the eternal rewards of feeding the hungry, giving drink to the thirsty, and taking in strangers, saying in verse 40, "I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to Me." Jesus also taught in Matthew 7:12 the Golden Rule we all learned as children:  "Do to others whatever you would like them to do to you..."

The Lord showed me that day the meaning of these teachings of His. By obeying the Lord's directions, I had been able to enrich the life of a very lonely old man who is just as precious to Him as any king. God's purposes had been served, Elmer had a life, and I was blessed with a new revelation of this teaching of Jesus. What a mighty God we serve! You just never know how you're going to affect someone's life....

Darlene has raised nine children with her husband, David. She continually seeks the opportunity to affect people's lives for the Lord's sake. Email Darlene.

By J. Merritt Johnston

We have two crazy little miniature dachshunds at our house named Aidan and Addie. Though they are the same breed, they could not be more opposite. Aidan is lanky, lean, and likes to lounge precariously on the back of our sofa. He's a loner, but when the thunderclouds and their claps roll in, he's quick to find my lap. Adelaide is short, stout, and likes to sit under my son's high chair to scoop up the stray Goldfish and Cheerios. She's good-natured and sweet-tempered, but when bedtime rolls around, she's quick to curl up alone in her kennel.

Much of their genetic make-up has to be the same, yet each is undeniably unique in personality and actions. As their caretaker, these two wiener dogs have certainly been interesting for me to watch. Perhaps the most striking detail of all is their capacity to know exactly what they need. While Aidan's aloof personality is often more like a cat than a dog, he wants to be held close when a storm is raging. While Addie generally loves to nudge my laptop out of the way so she can sit in my lap, she wants her own private sleeping sanctuary after 9 pm. They know themselves and their needs well, which is more than I can say for myself sometimes. I'm pretty awful at asking for help, even when I know exactly what I need. Can you relate?

So often we get caught up in a stereotype or an expectation that prevents us from seeking what we need. Men are typically taught not to cry, but sometimes we all need that emotional release. Women are typically taught to be nurturing, but sometimes we all need to be the one who is nurtured. Sometimes the man in your life just needs to be held, and sometimes the woman in your life just needs to be alone. Unfortunately, we're usually pretty bad at expressing those needs.

But thankfully, there is at least one person in our lives who knows exactly what we need even when we don't.

Psalm 139:1-4 (NIV) says, "O LORD, you have searched me and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O LORD."

God searches our thoughts, knows our schedules, and hears our words before we ever think to speak them. And in His wisdom, He is able to see through all of that to give us exactly what we need.

Philippians 4:19 (NIV) says, "And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus."

We can go to Him with more than just our physical needs because He is the only One who is truly able to see and respond to our emotional needs. He can hold you when the storm's closing in, and He can give you a peaceful place to rest when the noise of life is too loud. You see, dogs may be man's metaphorical best friend, but there's One who is even better. Let's take a lesson from our lovable mutts and ask our Master to take us for a long walk today.

Merritt serves as the director of SAGE Girls Ministry, a non-profit organization whose mission is to reach, teach, and train young women to impact their communities and the world with the love of Christ. She makes her home in Brenham, TX, where she and her husband, Jeremy, are raising their rambunctious toddler named Josiah.

Society at large has an infatuation with procrastination, and on this matter, I would have to cast my lot with the rest of society. I've always prided myself on being a hard worker, but if I were honest, I would have to confess that I often find myself dawdling in trivial things to avoid dealing with the important ones. After all, why do today what I can put off until tomorrow?

Part of me desires to be organized, efficient, and disciplined. That part of me makes multiple calendars. The calendars get color-coded and then printed horizontally and vertically, by the week and by the month. That part of me makes to-do lists and jots down endless arrays of tasks on post-it notes that reside on my computer monitor for days. But all the time management techniques in the world mean nothing unless I break away from my infatuation with procrastination.

Most of the time I can finish the day with a lot of tasks marked off a list, but I'm learning the importance that priority plays in efficiency. Crossing ten things off a list and leaving the most important one unfinished is not effective stewardship of my time. So each day...each hour...each minute has to be evaluated under the microscope of "priority."

Do I fear that this will stifle my spontaneity? Absolutely not - I believe it conditions me to hear and respond to the spontaneous promptings of the Holy Spirit. I am free to change and rearrange the focus areas of my calendar as long as the overarching purpose remains the same. Psalm 119:10a (The Message) says, "I'm single-minded in pursuit of you..."

The psalmist knew what our purpose should be - that we become single-minded in our pursuit of God. However, he also knew our tendency to stray off the path in the midst of our pursuit. The end of Psalm 119:10 says, "...don't let me miss the road signs you've posted."

Many culprits can captivate our minds, our hearts, and our calendars and keep us from seeing the road signs God has posted, but distraction is probably the devil's greatest tool in directing us away from our destination. Satan wields the weapon of distraction craftily, and the result is Christians who have lost sight of their "single-minded" pursuit. With the busyness of life today, we feel entitled to a few pit stops in our pursuit. I agree that rest is needed, justified, and even commanded by God, but we must be careful not to let "rest" become an excuse for delayed action. Pit stops can become prime opportunities for procrastination to take hold and hinder us from answering God's call, and we must not allow that to happen.

So how do we rid our lives of this pesky little thing called procrastination? St. Francis of Assisi once said, "Start by doing what's necessary; then do what's possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible." This week I am praying that God will help me do what is "necessary." I am praying that I will be found faithful in the little things, so that He will be confident entrusting me with the big ones.

Wherever you might be in your pursuit of God, I urge you to join me this week in doing what is necessary so that together we might one day do the impossible.

Tips to Avoid an Infatuation with Procrastination:

• Begin each day by giving God control of your calendar. Ask for the Holy Spirit's help in organizing your appointments and responsibilities. Chart out your day so you have an action plan to start with, but allow some buffer time to tackle the unexpected. Ask God to reveal your priority action items for the day. As much as possible, try to tackle those items first before moving on to other responsibilities.
• Set up a reward system for yourself for not procrastinating. Let the reward be a motivation to "do what is necessary."
• Be on the lookout this week for the road signs God has posted. Take time to journal about the signs you see, and ask God to help you follow the course He has charted for your life. If He has been pointing you toward something for quite some time, then pray for the courage to take a leap in that direction this week.

Merritt serves as the director of SAGE Girls Ministry, a non-profit organization whose mission is to reach, teach, and train young women to impact their communities and the world with the love of Christ. She makes her home in Brenham, TX, where she and her husband, Jeremy, are raising their rambunctious toddler named Josiah and two miniature dachshunds named Aidan and Adelaide.

(Editor's Note: The following is an amazingly articulate response to an extended journey of infertility, an issue that over 2 million women will face this year.)

After that crazy, painful emotional roller-coaster, here is where I'm at:

I am heartbroken.
I thought my long wait for a baby was over, and it's not.
I feel panicky sometimes that maybe I will never have another biological child.
I look at Braelyn and see more and more what a miracle she is.
I am not ready to stop trying yet. But I suppose that day will come.
I know full well that the Lord can give me another baby. And I know that He doesn't have to.

It is in these times that the Gospel begs to be spoken...even if it's just to yourself. It should come to our minds, Believers, as easily as tears come to our eyes. And when we think we can endure no more, the Holy Spirit equips us to say along with James, that we consider it pure joy to face trials of many kinds. Because in times like this, the Gospel is so real and true and beautiful that you can taste it. What grace God has poured out on me! That He would share more of Himself with me! That I have TASTED the goodness of His Gospel!

I was an enemy of God. Alone. With nothing. Broken. Empty. Cast out. But God, by pouring His anger towards my sin onto His perfect and precious Son, made a way. And He found me. And He called me by name and robed me in the righteousness of Christ and showed me my place at His table.

So I had nothing. And then, by no work of my own, I had everything.

The Gospel: It answers for all sin and all pain and all suffering. It satisfies it all. Maybe I would question if that were really true if the past three years had been different. But now I know...it is true.

Stephanie is a pastor's wife and mother to one 4-year-old cutie-pie. She loves Jesus, her family, her friends, and reading. She likes cooking, antiquing, sewing and entertaining. She dislikes Facebook, wondering if she forgot to put deodorant on, and buffet restaurants.

My eyes widen. My voice quivers. My hands shake. My husband tries helping me up the stairs, to no avail. My mind wills my foot to move, but it will not do its job. Panic sets in as I absorb this new development. And I lose it! My body writhes in pain and my emotions follow. An involuntary shriek escapes my mouth and more tears roll down my cheeks as a sharp sting pierces my lower back.

I desperately reach for God, knowing He is the answer. But my circumstances encompass me. I can't leave the moment long enough to see the Answer. Will I ever walk again? Will this pain ever subside? Will I be capable of raising my children? Will my husband resent me?

God...I know in my head that you are there...but I can't see You or feel You in my heart.

Through gritted teeth I tell Him...You know how hard I have worked to strengthen my lower back. I have made fixing myself a priority - almost to a fault. I have stretched and walked. I have drunk gallons of water and flooded my body with supplements. I have spent money on mattresses and chiropractors. So why? Why? Why is this happening again? What can I do?

If I had the strength, I would shake my fist at God. Moments later, as I lay in bed, I cry. Not the whimpering kind - the wailing kind. I am a crier. As I cry on the outside, I also cry out to God on the inside.

I'm sorry, God. I'm sorry I am not taking this better. A "real" Christian wouldn't allow this to bother her so much. I'm sorry I am mad at You. I know I shouldn't be.

My tears slow down and a deeper thought arises: God, I'm scared.

"Shhhh, my child," is my answer. I almost feel Him stroking my hair. Just breathe. In...out...in...out. Knowing I can't control the future, I center my thoughts on the present. For now, it is enough to just keep breathing.

*****

That night, I hear "pwoooo . . .pwooo." I chuckle. For such a big guy, my husband has a wimpy snore. "Honey." I hate to wake him. "I have to use the restroom." Groggily, Don reaches for the walker our friends loaned us. I gingerly stand, leaning heavily on the contraption. He moves it three inches. I shuffle forward, three more inches and shuffle, three more inches and shuffle. I am grateful for our attached bathroom.

Back in bed, I lay motionless in the fetal position. The pain subsides to a dull throb. My emotions settle. But my selfish desire for "wellness" surfaces. My controlling nature rears its ugly head.

What did I do wrong? What did I eat? How could I have prevented this? How can I speed the recovery? What product will take away the pain fastest without leaving residual effects?

Realization hits. I allow my back issue to haunt me. These thoughts are strongholds. I allowed the enemy to enter my life, slowly, but surely.

Stewing accomplishes nothing. "Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?" (Matt. 6:27) Previous hours of worry did not prevent this episode. Agonizing will not take away the pain. Anxiety cannot keep me on my feet. God has spoken. "I am the Lord, and there is no other." (Isaiah 45:18)

Lord, please forgive me for trying to take your place. By trying to control my circumstances, I am trying to be God of my own life. It's not working! And it's wrong! Fear and selfishness block my vision of You. Dissipate these clouds. I surrender to Your will. I accept my current condition.

God is sovereign. Each time I bow to this thought, God chips away a little bit of me and replaces it with Him. He draws me closer as more of me disappears. And in His sovereignty, He is compassionate and kind. This very kindness leads me to repentance. (Rom. 2:4) My muscles relax as I remember these truths. Sleep surrounds me as I choose to rest in His arms.


Barb and her husband, Don, have four children, Kevin, JT, Kenneth, and Melinda. Barb home schools her children and encourages her husband in his pastorate position. Her passion is ministering to ladies. Her purpose is to glorify God. Follow Barb's blogs at foodliesandtruth.blogspot.com and thefatherheartofgod.blogspot.com.

Hamlet's Blackberry: A Practical Philosophy for Building a Good Life in the Digital Ages
By William Powers

Reviewed by Ed Chinn

Have you ever noticed that every win is also a loss?

Yet, most "wins" come to us without ever being sought or even examined. The process is frankly astonishing; unknown people and powers convince us to quietly exchange old values and strengths for unwanted, untested, and often dangerous stuff. Today, according to the new book, Hamlet's Blackberry (HarperCollins, 2010), "...without realizing it, we're living by a very particular philosophy of technology. It can be summarized in one sentence. "It's good to be connected, and it's bad to be disconnected."

Hamlet's Blackberry is a powerful, but sensible, call to wake up and examine the cost and impact of digital technologies - primarily the Internet and cell phones. Author William Powers doesn't suggest getting rid of them. But he does reason that connectedness must be balanced with unconnectedness. It's a rhythm issue.

One of the most unique payloads in the book is his examination of seven thinkers -- Plato, Seneca, Gutenberg, Shakespeare, Ben Franklin, Thoreau, and McLuhan -- and their messages to us. Although the insight itself isn't new, Powers eloquently persuades the reader that we are not facing anything unique. We struggle with what humans have always faced...the conforming pressure of crowds and the need for private and sacred space. This whole section - the stories, the history, the human profiles, the lessons - is worth the cost of
the book.

Acceleration is an inevitable result of technology. Hamlet's Blackberry shows the cost of that acceleration: we're losing the ability to go deep. Life moves so fast that we are all like flat rocks skipping across the surface. We do not go deep in study, work, conversation, prayer, art, care, parenting, or any other profoundly human venture. We talk on the phone while checking email, watching TV, and writing checks. Google is easier than deep research. Porn is easier than building deep and intimate trust. We don't gain deep traction at work because we check email or Facebook 50 times a day. We don't create; it's easier to download or cut and paste what someone else created. We don't go deep in prayer; we read blogs by people who claim to do that.

For several years, I've observed that modern life is a centrifuge; it spins so fast that we're all pinned to the outside wall. And, there is no one at the center. We all live "out there." In Hamlet's Blackberry, I finally found someone who agrees with that and gives ample evidence and examples of how and why that is true. He writes that "connectedness" causes us to lean outward. We tilt toward "out there" rather than "in here." Connectedness throws us "away from the few and the near, toward the many and the far." He mentions a
news report about one girl who sent 300,000 text messages per month! Wonder
how her interpersonal skills are doing?

The crescendo of Hamlet's Blackberry is the last chapter. Powers loves technology; he only advocates learning how to live with it. And, for him and his family, that means a renewal of the idea of "Sabbath." Specifically, he and his family turn off their modem and their cell phones on Friday night and leave them off till Monday morning. Withdrawal? Of course. But he takes us through how they crashed through that addiction and found real life. Now, the
whole family looks forward to the disconnected weekends. I do believe I'm going to try this.

Hamlet's Blackberry is the most valuable and useful book I've read in a long time. It makes a valuable contribution to learning how to manage technology and retain or rediscover the abilities and graces of going deep.

As a writer, Ed Chinn has been published in many US newspapers, magazines and websites. His new book, "Footprints in the Sea," is available here. Ed and his wife, Joanne, live in Middle Tennessee. Email Ed.

Although our DNA sets our physical traits, some people seem naturally disposed to optimism, happiness, and goodness. Others are troubled or in trouble almost from birth. The whole nature versus nurture pendulum swings with current pop psychology. Though traces of humility may bob to our surface from time to time, most of us have to learn and re-learn it through experience - even those larger-than-life people who lived in Biblical times.

Moses was characterized as being more humble than any other person on the planet. This description referred to his attitude, which underwent many adjustments throughout his life. Although he was born in slavery, Pharaoh's daughter adopted him and he enjoyed the privileges attendant to royalty. After he grew up, like many adopted children, Moses wanted to explore his roots. As he saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, his anger was aroused. Since he didn't see anyone observing him, he killed the aggressor and buried the body in the sand.

It seems someone is always looking and ready to spread the news. The next day when he intervened between two combative Hebrews, they weren't appreciative. "Who do you think you are?" they asked. "Who put you in charge over us?"

Of course, word reached Pharaoh. Murder and lawlessness are never acceptable in an ordered society. Fleeing the death penalty, Moses headed for Midian. There he encountered yet another injustice. Shepherds refused to wait their turn at the well, and drove away the flocks that were already there. They preferred to take advantage of someone else's hard work. This time Moses intervened without murder and rescued the seven girls who had already done the labor of filling the water trough for their father's flock.

Forty years later we see Moses still in the Midian desert tending sheep - not a glamorous or prestigious job. His workplace was secluded from public scrutiny. Desert extremes buried the remains of his self-reliance and pride. When God gave Moses the commission to release his people from bondage, he wasn't the same brash young man who felt competent to liberate the oppressed.

The reluctant shepherd transitions from tending sheep to leading people. Same job - getting them to follow, making sure they have food and water, making sure enemies don't kill them off, protecting them from folly. Sheep can be noisy, but people have versatility of language and more ways of complaining and opposition. Sheep never try to take over, or build idols, or break all of the Ten Commandments at once.

Through the frustrations of leadership, Moses cherished his regular meetings with God, and learned to obey Him in every respect. His rough edges were rubbed smooth through his relationship with God until he was free from personal ambition and selfishness. As he faced challenges to his spiritual authority, even from his own brother and sister, Moses let God defend him. Although they questioned his judgment, opposed his guidance, and criticized his marriage, Moses never retaliated. Humility grown in loneliness, isolation, and exile blossomed in God's timing.

Friendship with God took priority over any other relationship. Moses refused to function outside the Presence of the Lord. God responded by speaking to him face to face like a friend. When God threatened to annihilate Israel because of their sin, Moses dared to confront the Almighty by reminding Him of His promises to Abraham, Isaac and Israel. And the Creator of the universe relented and spared an unworthy people from His wrath. He promised that His Presence would go with Moses and the people he led.

Parallels between Moses and Jesus are unmistakable. Each was born sentenced to death as an infant. They submitted to Father God despite their circumstances. They were falsely accused and reviled without mercy. They exemplified humility. Each of them interceded between God and man to spare the spiritually insensate from righteous judgment. Moses' intervention saved a nation from extinction. Jesus sacrificed His body and blood to rescue humanity and bring the hope of salvation.

Humility is a magnet for God's grace. Isaiah 57:15 states:  For thus says the High and Lofty One Who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: " I dwell in the high and holy place, With him who has a contrite and humble spirit, To revive the spirit of the humble, And to revive the heart of the contrite ones (NKJV).

Jesus is humility personified. He spent His time with the contrite and revived their hearts and their bodies. He said "be a servant to be great," and He was a servant. Although He is the only Son of God, He clothed Himself in humanity to show us the possibilities of life. He was a friend to sinners and the worst nightmare of the hypocrites and religious elite. He taught the ignorant and illiterate. He delivered the suffering and died an unthinkable death for the undeserving.

The Apostle Paul told us to have the same attitude as Jesus. Beware of selfish ambition and conceit. Consider others before you put your interests first. Maturity grows us beyond our pride and arrogant self-sufficiency. We can admit we don't have all the answers. We are free to take advice and criticism without operating in a kung fu defense mode. Humility is teachable.

Daily life is like camping on a fault line. Unpredictable upheavals shift our reality. As we settle into a new uneasy normal, another tremor shakes our equilibrium. Our only security is the Holy Presence who dwells with the humble. Self-abasement isn't required, but finding God's will and following it brings us true freedom. Jesus is our example. He was free in His Father's will.

Humility permits us to view our limitations and boundaries without guilt or condemnation. It prompts us to serve with unselfishness and generosity. It allows us to honor the gifts and talents of others without fear of diminishing our own. Humility releases us to be like Jesus - to function within Heavenly parameters. Let's take a clear-eyed look at ourselves and discover a different kind of freedom.

Deborah H. Rabern is a graduate of Georgia State University. She has spoken and taught in assorted venues including churches, parachurch organizations, federal prison and the public school system. In addition, she has been a spokesperson for the National Day of Prayer Committee (Cumberland, MD) and Tri-State Celebration (1999) during her employment with the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. Email Deborah.

Read Part One and/or Part Two

The final two pieces of VALID leadership are not as concrete as the first three. They are important and necessary to master. They are also flexible. Because of this flexibility VALID can be molded to fit a leader's specific need.

In review, the first three pieces (Vision, Association, and Love) are essential. Effective leaders must master these areas. The "I" and "D" can be matched to the leader's experience and needs.

Let's begin with the "I" factors. They are:

1. Involvement: Effective leaders will be involved. There is no substitution for getting your hands dirty and doing the little things. Your people will respond positively and enthusiastically when they know you are with them. See James 2:14-26 (MSG)

2. Ingenuity: Effective leaders find solutions. They are not afraid to try new approaches and will take calculated risks.

3.  Improvisation: Effective leaders will adjust when needed. They don't give up when they hit obstacles.

4. Intuition: Effective leaders have a keen sense and awareness of their surroundings.

The "D" factors are:

1. Discernment: Effective leaders have a keen insight and sound judgment. Similar to intuition, discernment allows us to sense what is happening and make solid decisions. See John 7:21 (MSG)

2. Determination: Effective leaders don't give up. They keep forging ahead to realize their vision.

3. Development: Effective leaders understand that developing themselves and their team is absolutely necessary. Change is inevitable, but self-improvement is optional. It is the great separator between greatness and mediocrity. See John 15:15 (NIV).

4. Demonstration: Effective leaders are masters of letting their actions do the talking.

Here's how I put it too work. The VAL is under control already. For me to step up my leadership, improvement was needed. My two specific areas were involvement and development. My VALID needs to be Vision, Assoc., Love, Involvement and Development.

I satisfied the involvement portion by moving my workstation out of my huge, awesome office. I chose a desk in the middle of the dispatch area and work from there. This gives me the opportunity to work side by side with my teammates. It also shows them I am part of their team (demonstration).

The development portion for me is helping two teammates who are viewed as up and coming stars. For me to be successful, I must develop others into strong leaders. My ability has limits and can only go so far. I'll need other leaders to step up so we can reach our goals together. Hiring the right people makes this portion much easier (intuition).

Your "I" and "D" may be different from mine. Pick the factors you need to improve upon to complete your leadership profile. Your success depends on it.

James authors the popular leadership blog, Leading The Way. You can participate in the daily discussions by visiting www.leadingisreading.blogspot.com. He also founded the concept of VALID Leadership and has published numerous Christian and secular articles.

Important messages warrant the utmost consideration. If you had a crucial piece of information, you would likely not be careless with it.  Instead, you would show care and determination to ensure that the message was accurately and appropriately delivered. You would labor to be clear, not confusing, when you conveyed it.

We should be the clearest and most careful regarding the most important message in the world: the gospel.

The word gospel means good news, and the news is not about us. True, the gospel has profound implications for us, but we are not the content of it.  We are hearers of it, even beneficiaries, or perhaps rejecters.  Our sin certainly shows our need for the gospel.  But fundamentally the good news is about Jesus and what he has done for sinners.  If you hear something which is passed along as the "gospel" but which doesn't focus on the cross of Jesus, you're not hearing the good news.

The New Testament consistently presents the Christian gospel as a message about Jesus.  But this message about him is not general or abstract but very specific: it centers on Jesus' substitutionary death for sinners which satisfied the righteous wrath of his Father.  Paul taught "that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures" (1 Cor 15:3b), and in Christ's death God showed his justice (Rom 3:25-26).  Jesus knew that dying on the cross meant bearing and drinking the cup of his Father's wrath (Luke 22:42).

Paul's message of reconciliation included statements like this: "God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God" (2 Cor 5:21).  Paul's understanding of the good news, then, is that Jesus has done a work that is worthy of worldwide proclamation, and this finished work concerns the dilemma of man's sinfulness before a holy God.

What makes the gospel good news is that God has done in Jesus what none of us could do: "God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross" (Col 1:19).  To put it another way, "God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us" (Rom 5:8).

So the message of the gospel is for us, but it's not about us.  The gospel is about the finished work of Christ, and the substitutionary aspect of his work is what makes the news good!  Our work is not good news.  For example, "All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Rom 3:23).  Also, "There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God" (Rom 3:10-11).  In other words, we are bad news!

The Christ-centered nature of the gospel is evident in 2 Corinthians 4:5a: "For we do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord." In this verse Paul informs the Corinthians who the sovereign one is, and that title doesn't belong to any of us.  Paul does not preach himself (or anyone else) as Lord.  He preaches Jesus as Lord, as the sovereign ruler of the world.  Jesus is supreme, exalted above all.  He is "far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come" (Eph 1:21).

The good news doesn't focus on someone with mere aspirations of significance. Rather, Jesus is the most important person in the universe, and the good news proclaims him as the Savior of all who trust and hope in him.

While the gospel is the best news for sinners, they do not gladly welcome it.  Tragically, "The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God" (2 Cor 4:4).  Put another way, what unbelievers so desperately need to see - the glory of Christ displayed in the gospel - is the very thing to which they are blinded.

Apart from the power of God, spiritual blindness cannot produce a saving response to the good news. "The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing" (1 Cor 1:18a).  A crucified Messiah is "a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles" (1 Cor 1:23).  The good news is offensive news.  But Paul has no other saving news to proclaim.  "I am not ashamed of the gospel" - despite its offense - "because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile" (Rom 1:16).

The good news is powerful news!  Paul speaks about salvation in terms of the power which God exercised in creating the world: "For God, who said, 'Let light shine out of darkness,' made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ" (2 Cor 4:6).  In fact, Paul calls salvation new creation: "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!" (2 Cor 5:17).

We need to be Christians who think through the content of the gospel, the good news of Christ who became our sin-bearing substitute under the wrath of his Father.  We need clear thinking about this message, because there is no more important message. The most important message in the universe is about the most important person in the universe: Jesus.

We must be careful to distinguish between the content of the gospel and those who need the message: Jesus is the former, and we are the latter.  The gospel is good news about Jesus for sinners.

After pastoring in Texas, Mitch Chase is currently a student in the PhD program at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky.  He and Stacie have been married for five years, and they have one son, Jensen.

By Sara Mitchell

I remember when I first woke up. Freshman year of college, in the middle of a night with wild and very cold air - a Honduran, a guitarist, and I had just watched a film. We shared one bottle of wine that I had no idea how to gauge the quality of and tore off cheese and bread with our hands. Others joined us and with the night so young and promising, they began to read poetry to each other.

I have no idea which poets were read but experiencing this shook me. The knowledge that they spent their nights exciting the life out of each other was new and thrilling. That night gave my life a layer of meaning it had lacked. It unfolded a new way to enjoy life with people - to be in communion with those who have gone before and in the same moment to uncover the new. Afterward, I could think of nothing better to do with an evening with friends than read poetry aloud and discuss it.

We called it poetry night, which I'm sure has been coined hundreds of times by starry-eyed and prematurely world-weary university students. They were sporadic in the beginning, occurring once every few months. Only a handful of us would gather.

The meetings really became regular in 2007. Every other Thursday students from several universities convened in my boyfriend's apartment. I loved seeing new people come in. Their faces were always a mix of bewilderment and giddiness, delighted to find people enjoying poetry together.

Every manifestation of poetry night was unique. There were some constants-thinkers, wine, books of poems strewn all over the floor in a circle of chairs and couches, something to snack on. They would pour in, fill their plates, fill their glasses and pick up one of the dozens of books of poetry and flip through till a few lines strung our hearts. And then we would read. We would fill the night with lines that paralleled all the things we were discovering as new explorers of the world outside our homes and families. The discussions were tangential but meaningful. They brought us to ideas and realizations we would never recover from.

We were Baptist, Roman Catholic, Presbyterian, Episcopalian, agnostics, behaviorists, artists, sculptors, actors, philosophers, poets. Many of us had a faith that tied us together. But all of us had an excitement about what we were doing and, most of all, what we could do.

And as this description is vague, so was the focus of our fervor. We had all woken up and we wanted the rest of the world to feel it, too. Short-term or long-term, we knew what the future held for us: world change. And yet, we largely had no idea how to make that happen.

Somehow I knew for sure that we were not going to spark change right there on the streets of Dallas under the moonglow, because you don't change the world by shouting it from the tops of buildings. It may seem that The Beatles did just that, but really they probably changed more lives from the crackling speakers of record players inside millions of bedrooms than from any rooftop concert.

That's what I told our fellow poetry nighters. What we are doing is good, but what is really going to change the world is when we leave this city and settle into communities and do good things within them. It's when we each pour ourselves into the people and families around us that we really make a difference. I don't believe in mass change. I could be wrong but I cannot remember ever being deeply affected by an experience shared with thousands of other people. Inspired maybe, but not changed. The ideas and experiences we shared would indeed change the world, but they would first have to change our homes and villages.

The most beneficial moments I have shared with other people have occurred in small groups: with my family or youth group, in book clubs or over dinner with friends. Change is when you sit with the other parents at a soccer game and have edifying conversation or when your roommate takes the time to teach you the art of baking an entire chicken. Whatever change you desire to affect, whether it's bringing the gospel to all nations or eco-friendly living or whatever it may be, real change happens at the local level. The biggest dream I ever took away from poetry night was to one day imbed myself in a community and do what is good and true and beautiful right where I was planted.

So here we are. Years later my boyfriend is my husband. We moved to a small town in a new state just a month ago, a week after we were married in a small Episcopal church surrounded by family, friends, professors, and many former poetry night participants. Now, we are surrounded by a community of strangers. We know no one. We have no tall buildings to shout from. We have no wild band of poets. We do not even have another couple to share a bottle of wine with. But this is it. This is what we waited for - our community.

With those many lines of poetry pushing us onward, with all those nights of excitement, hope, and ideas to bolster us, and with our commitment to redeeming the part of the world we've been placed in, we dig in. Does the church need volunteers for Taco Night? We'll be there. Launching a youth group? We'll see how we can serve. Dinner and a movie? Sure, as long as we're sincere with each other and talk about things that matter.

And this, we hope, is the nucleus of world change: one house, committed to investing in their neighbors, their street, and their city; to redeeming every word and activity; to seeking what is true, good, and beautiful tirelessly every day.

Sara Mitchell is a freelance writer and a recent transplant to southern New Mexico. She and her husband enjoy reading a poem or a piece of prose most nights before dinner. Sara has delivered papers on the subjects of poetry, pop culture, and education at several academic forums and conferences. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy from Dallas Baptist University and blogs at SaraGoesWest.com.

Balance is popular concept.  We're told that we should eat balanced meals and live balanced lives.

What we mean by this is that we should not put all our eggs in one basket.  Or we should not be too obsessed about a single thing.  In case it doesn't work out.  Or in case it turns out not to be good for us.

I think balance is a myth.  It sounds nice, sure.  But it's the wrong metaphor.

If balance were the ideal, we would have no pro or Olympic athletes.

We would have no Beatles or U2.  No Francis Ford Coppola or Charlie Chaplin.  No Mother Theresa or Ghandi.  I would also argue that we would have no 40-, 50- or 60-year wedding anniversaries either.

Balance suggests a stability through an equal distribution of weight, which doesn't capture the pendulum-like nature of our personalities.

Some days we're happy.  Some sad.  Some mad.

Some days we're extroverted.  Other days, we're introverted.

Some days we're celebrating.  Other days, we're grieving.

How can a human being possible remain constant and stable through the peaks and valleys of life?  We can't.  We're dynamic.  And we're social, which means that our thoughts and behaviors are influenced by what others are doing.

Do you remember what the lawyer asked Jesus in Matthew 22:36? "Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?" Jesus, as only Jesus can, summed the entire kit and kaboodle up in two sentences:

1. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.

2. Love your neighbor as yourself.

Does this sound balanced to you?  It sure doesn't to me.  Love is an unbalanced and demanding act.

Take parenting.  I can't speak for you, but I haven't found that there's anything balanced about being a parent.  I feel like a haole being thrown off my surfboard every single ride.  I spit the sand and blood from my mouth.  Pick up my board.  And paddle right back out there for the next wave.

Why?  Not because I'm balanced.  Because I am obsessively in love with everything about being a parent.  Even when I laugh and act like Dr. Evil.  And even when I seriously entertain thoughts of sending my kids to military school!  (Any tips on how to get kids to clean their play room are welcome.)

Parenting is something I choose to do, no matter my moods and no matter my circumstances.  It's something I fail at often.  But it's something I will smile and cuss my way through no matter what it costs me financially, emotionally, physically, intellectually or relationally.

To me, serving God is not about balance, because I'm not my own energy source and I'm not in control of my life.

You can spend the rest of your life trying to live "balanced."  As for me, I'm going for broke.  I'm going to burn it at both ends until I'm either hospitalized or dead.  I'm going to love until I have no more love to give.

I'm confident I can pull this off, not because I'm some daredevil on the tight rope keeping my balance.

Nope.  You'll have to look more closely.

I'll pull this off because I am actually the rope.  I am the rope existing in tension, being pulled in opposite directions.

It's the tension created by these opposing forces that produces the energy that gives me life.

It gives you life too.

Keith Jennings is a writer, husband, dad and wandering wonderer based in Atlanta, Georgia.  He heads corporate communications for a consortium of healthcare companies.  Through his blog, Keith offers discoveries and dilemmas that help you find joy and serendipity even when you lose your balance.